Source: The Irish Times, by Senator PAUL GAVAN and FRA McCANN MLA, 22/08/2016
Sir, – As part of a quite remarkable letter from Israeli ambassador to Ireland Ze’Ev Boker, he declared “Israel does not directly target civilians on the other side” (August 18th).This statement will come as a major surprise to the 20 Palestinian families who have had their homes demolished by Israeli Defence Forces. Their only “crime” was to have had sons who were extra-judicially executed by these same forces.
Worse still, the Israeli government has refused to hand over the bodies of these young men so that they can be buried by these same families. This is a form of collective punishment against the families of the deceased. Clearly the ambassador has either forgotten these people, or else does not regard them as citizens.
His statement will also come as a revelation to the families of the 7,000 Palestinians currently languishing in Israeli jails, 750 of whom are being held under so-called “administrative detention” or internment without trial as it was called when implemented in the north of this country. These families are denied visiting rights to see their incarcerated sons and daughters on a routine basis, with many lucky if they see their loved ones even once a year.
His words will also ring hollow with the families of the 350 children currently under lock and key, some of whom can now be sentenced to 20 years in prison for the “crime” of throwing a stone at an occupying Israeli tank. Children who have suffered up to 22 consecutive days of solitary confinement without any recourse to visits, according to Defence for Children International.
Read more: http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/israel-and-palestinian-civilians-1.2763347
= new reply since forum marked as read